For optimal pharmacotherapy, it is important to achieve maximum patient compliance. Compliance is dependent on a number of factors including but not limited to the route and frequency of drug administration. Frequency of administration can sometimes be decreased by administering long-acting, sustained release, or controlled release pharmaceutical formulations. These techniques have been of tremendous benefit, especially for oral administration. But oral dosage forms themselves oftentimes have serious disadvantages that adversely affect patient compliance.
Oral dosage forms present significant drawbacks for several classes of patients. Many patients are unable or unwilling to swallow a solid dosage form. This problem occurs primarily in children and the elderly, however, problems with swallowing are not limited to those segments of the population. Certain conditions or disease states manifest themselves by swallowing difficulties. Otherwise healthy individuals can also exhibit problems with swallowing. Such swallowing difficulties, irrespective of their cause, can severely compromise patient compliance. Swallowing difficulties are also problematic when medicating animals. The taste of an oral formulation, whether solid or liquid, may also affect compliance. Many individuals, and children in particular, refuse to ingest an oral dosage form that has a bitter, sour, metallic, or generally unpleasant taste.
While the pharmaceutical industry has long-recognized the need for a satisfactory alternative to oral dosage forms, none have materialized. Syrups, elixirs, microcapsules containing slurries, chewable tablets and other novel tablet or capsule dosage forms have been developed. None of these dosage forms have been ideal and each has their own disadvantages. To improve patient compliance, therefore, a need remains for an oral delivery composition that is easy to swallow.